Canonical quantization of general relativity in discrete space-times

Following recent assumptions to unify quantum mechanics and general relativity, the structure of spacetime is suppose to be a consequence of the relations among some fundamental objects, and its concept can be formulated without the reference to the intuition. As physical consequences the continuous laws should be translated in to difference equations and the lattice field theories should be interpreted as a realistic model.

In this series of papers, we present a set of methods to revive quantum geometrodynamics which encountered numerous mathematical and conceptual challenges in its original form promoted by Wheeler and De Witt. In this paper, we introduce the regularization scheme on which we base the subsequent quantization and continuum limit of the theory. Specifically, we employ the set of piecewise constant fields as the phase space of classical geometrodynamics, resulting in a theory with...

The recently introduced consistent discrete lattice formulation of canonical general relativity produces a discrete theory that is constraint-free. This immediately allows to overcome several of the traditional obstacles posed by the ``problem of time'' in totally constrained systems and quantum gravity and cosmology. In particular, one can implement the Page--Wootters relational quantization. This brief paper discusses this idea in the context of a simple model system --the ...

We present a new method for the quantization of totally constrained systems including general relativity. The method consists in constructing discretized theories that have a well defined and controlled continuum limit. The discrete theories are constraint-free and can be readily quantized. This provides a framework where one can introduce a relational notion of time and that nevertheless approximates in a well defined fashion the theory of interest. The method is equivalent ...

We apply the ``consistent discretization'' technique to the Regge action for (Euclidean and Lorentzian) general relativity in arbitrary number of dimensions. The result is a well defined canonical theory that is free of constraints and where the dynamics is implemented as a canonical transformation. This provides a framework for the discussion of topology change in canonical quantum gravity. In the Lorentzian case, the framework appears to be naturally free of the ``spikes'' ...

We review a recent proposal for the construction of a quantum theory of the gravitational field. The proposal is based on approximating the continuum theory by a discrete theory that has several attractive properties, among them, the fact that in its canonical formulation it is free of constraints. This allows to bypass many of the hard conceptual problems of traditional canonical quantum gravity. In particular the resulting theory implies a fundamental mechanism for decohere...

This is an informal review of the formulation of canonical general relativity and of its implications for quantum gravity; the various versions are compared, both in the continuum and in a discretized approximation suggested by Regge calculus. I also show that the weakness of the link with the geometric content of the theory gives rise to what I think is a serious flaw in the claimed derivation of a discrete structure for space at the quantum level.

This is a summary of the talk presented by JP at ICGC2004. It covered some developments in canonical quantum gravity occurred since ICGC2000, emphasizing the recently introduced consistent discretizations of general relativity.

The construction of a consistent theory of quantum gravity is a problem in theoretical physics that has so far defied all attempts at resolution. One ansatz to try to obtain a non-trivial quantum theory proceeds via a discretization of space-time and the Einstein action. I review here three major areas of research: gauge-theoretic approaches, both in a path-integral and a Hamiltonian formulation, quantum Regge calculus, and the method of dynamical triangulations, confining at...

Starting from an action for discretized gravity we derive a canonical formalism that exactly reproduces the dynamics and (broken) symmetries of the covariant formalism. For linearized Regge calculus on a flat background -- which exhibits exact gauge symmetries -- we derive local and first class constraints for arbitrary triangulated Cauchy surfaces. These constraints have a clear geometric interpretation and are a first step towards obtaining anomaly--free constraint algebras...